Kismet
by distantmuse
Summary: Addison and Derek were destined to meet, but it took them four tries to get it right. These are those four times, and the fifth when they were finally properly introduced. Young and cute Addek. I decided to leave it complete the way that it is.
1. Chapter 1

_This fic operates under the theory that we may see/be around people who become very close to us many times before we ever actually meet them. I have some inspiration for this, which I will explain at the end of the last one. _

_It is a series of five brief one-shots. Each one is a time where Addison/Derek either saw each other, or were in each other's presence – but never met – leading up to the time when they finally did meet and acknowledge each other._

_For my purposes, Addison, Derek, and Mark are all born and raised completely in NYC. Derek and Mark attended one set of schools together, while Addison attended another._

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* * *

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Mark nudged Derek's ribs lightly with his elbow. "Dude, check out the majorettes. There are some hot girls at this school. Maybe I should transfer…"

Mark fixed his eyes on the girls in their short red and gold sequined dresses, smirking a bit to himself. He always enjoyed the pre-game shows almost as much as the actual football games, for this reason. Of course, girls from other schools always appeared to be more attractive than the ones from his own.

"I hate majorettes." Derek said with a scowl, having recently been dumped by one such baton-wielding young woman from their own junior high school.

On the field, Addison smiled out at the crowd, the shiny metal of her braces gleaming in the lights. She'd gotten red and white bands put on them at her last orthodontist visit to match her school colors. Her red locks were pulled back tightly against her head into a French braid.

Addison brought her baton up in front of her body clockwise for a toss turn; dipping it behind her head, and bringing it back around. The baton rolled over her thumb, controlled as she tossed it in the air. She whirled around once beneath it and caught it with a grin; she always looked a little too surprised when she caught the baton, the coach had said. The cold metal, wrapped in prismatic red tape, laced its way through her fingers and back in the next move of the routine. Addison took a deep breath. Her least favorite part was coming up; another toss turn, but the spin was doubled. She always had trouble catching it.

That time was no exception. The baton fell to the ground, its rubber ends bouncing it across the grass and several feet from Addison. Mortified, she dashed across the field to retrieve it. It was times like that when she wished she had stuck to playing the clarinet in the band instead of becoming a majorette.

"Then that should cheer you up." Mark pointed to Addison, who was still scrambling to pick up her fallen baton. "That chick just lost her baton."

"Good." Derek laughed coldly and crossed his arms. "I'm glad she dropped it. Those sticks are instruments of heartbreak. Holly would have stabbed me with hers if I'd let her."

Mark rolled his eyes. "You have to get over her, Derek."

"I'm over Holly." Derek insisted. "I just hate baton twirling."


	2. Chapter 2

The second time Derek saw Addison, she was working in an ice cream parlor.

Addison's parents had looked down on the idea of her getting a job. They could easily afford anything that she wanted, and didn't want her to work while she was in high school. Her speech therapist had thought that the constant interaction with customers might help Addison's confidence in getting over her lisp.

Addison just wanted some financial independence from her parents, as small of a step as it was. The free ice cream every shift hadn't hurt the deal, either. Addison had eagerly ingested plenty of the creamy calories, hoping to add some curves to her awkwardly tall and rail thin frame. It didn't work, and she was as gangly as ever.

The store's bell jingled quietly and Addison was happy to see two attractive guys around her age enter the small store. It always made her evening a little brighter when there were cute guys to enjoy looking at, though she was too shy to actually talk to any of them.

She didn't know that their names were Derek and Mark, and the boys didn't know that she had been the one to drop the baton at a football game 2 years earlier.

"Could we have two hot fudge sundaes, please?" Derek asked Maya, Addison's co-worker who was the cashier that day.

Maya relayed the information to Addison, though she'd already heard it. Addison pulled two sundae dishes from under the counter and layered scoops of the homemade vanilla ice cream, spooning ribbons of hot fudge in between them. She tossed on a few more nuts than usual and gave them extra whipped cream before topping each one off with a cherry… Just because they were for cute guys.

"Two hot fudge sundaes." Addison announced, placing them on the counter.

"Thanks." Derek's smile as he took the sundaes was polite, but far from flirtatious. Addison smiled back, but carefully kept her lips closed to hide her braces.

After he and Mark sat down, Addison ran her tongue over the rough metal of her braces and sighed. As long as she had those, no guy would ever want to flirt with her, she thought. The orthodontist promised her that they would be gone by college, but she wasn't sure if she believed him. It seemed like she was doomed to have them forever.

"Addison! Can you come back here and help me for a minute?" Addison heard her manager calling for her from the back.

"Coming." Addison called back.

She snuck a final glance at Derek and Mark, then sighed. She wondered what the chances were of her _ever _being able to attract guys like that. Not good, she figured. Addison looked away sadly, and slowly trudged to the back of the store.

* * *

_Aw. I feel so sorry for awkward, geeky Addison… lol. :) Yet she will be with us one last time in her geeky state, next, when Addison and Derek rub shoulders at her senior prom._


	3. Chapter 3

_Someone asked why these are such short chapters… Well, they kind of have to be, because Derek and Addison think that these are just fleeting moments in their lives that are insignificant (though we know better)… If they started internalizing them too much, they'd start to recognize each other when they keep running into each other… And they can't recognize each other like that, because it would ruin the point of my story. :) I did try to make this one a bit longer for you guys. Enjoy. :)_

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"What about the Storm Troopers? How awesome are the Storm Troopers?" Skippy Gold chattered on excitedly.

Addison couldn't help but notice that his bow tie was crooked, he'd spilled red punch on his white tuxedo shirt, and that there was a piece of hair sticking straight up at the back of his head. Far from her dream prom date.

"Pretty cool, Skippy." Addison said, unable to keep the bored edge out of her voice.

"Who's your favorite? Han Solo or Luke Skywalker?" Skippy asked.

"Um, Han Solo." Addison said, unaware that her statement was an underlying clue to the future attraction she would have to bad boys. "Can you excuse me for a minute? I'm going to get some punch."

That's what Addison said, though she was really going to find her best friend, who had gotten her into this mess. Addison ambled across the hotel ballroom, holding up the hem of her bubble gum pink taffeta dress to keep her classmates from stepping on it. She stumbled as one of her high heels, which were dyed to match her dress perfectly, snagged the carpet. She felt shooting pain as her shoulder collided someone else's, hard. A hand reached out to grab her arm and steady her. She felt a little shock buzz through her body when she turned her head and realized that the hand belonged to an attractive guy.

"You all right?" Derek asked, concerned.

"I…" Addison's face grew hot with embarrassment, quickly reaching shades darker than her dress. "I'm fine… I'm sorry I ran into you… I just can't walk in these things." She laughed nervously and stared down at her feet.

Derek followed her eyes to her shoes and nodded. "Those do look tricky." His hand was still lightly gripping the top of her arm. "You're sure you're okay?"

Addison nodded. "Uh-huh."

"Be careful." Derek gave her arm a gentle squeeze before releasing it and crossing the room to re-join his date, Claire, who attended Addison's private high school and had been dating him for the past year.

"You all right there, chief?" Savvy asked Addison as she watched him walk away.

"Oh, fine… You know, just tripping into hot guys…" Addison groaned and ladled some punch into her cup, still mortified.

"Are you having a good time?" Savvy cringed as she waited for the response, which she did not expect to be positive.

"No." Addison said flatly.

"I'm sorry." Savvy bit her lip.

"Remind me. Why did you set me up with your cousin Skippy, Sav?" Addison asked rhetorically, chugging back a cup full of punch and wishing it was alcohol; not that she'd ever tasted alcohol, but she figured it would _have_ to make the evening more interesting.

"Because it would have practically been a _crime_ not to go to your senior prom, Ads. And I know you… You wouldn't have gone without a date. You didn't have a date. Skippy didn't have a date. It made sense at the time."

"And I hate these high heels that you made me wear!" Addison complained, ignoring Savvy's response. She kicked off then slipped back on one of her satin heels. "I can't walk in them! And like I'm not taller than most of the boys, anyway? I'm already a freak!"

"Addie..." Savvy said calmly. "They look great. They complete the dress."

Addison winced and brought one painfully blistered foot up in front of her to rub. "Why do women subject themselves to such cruel, aching punishment? I will never, ever wear high heels again. I swear. I won't do it. Ever."

"Okay, and that's fine, but…"

"And my hair." Addison pulled one of her curls taut and scowled at it, then released it so that it sprung back into shape. "I look like Shirley Temple."

"You look beautiful, and you need to calm down." Savvy urged her. "Have some fun, Ads."

"Calm down? No, this is not how senior prom was supposed to be." Addison sighed and threw her cup into the trashcan, hard.

"How was it supposed to be?" Savvy asked patiently.

"It's supposed to be the most romantic night in a young woman's life." Addison said sadly, slowly sinking down into a chair. "It is for you, isn't it? You have Weiss…"

Savvy sighed. She knew better than to lie to her best friend since fifth grade, but she didn't exactly want to rub her happiness in Addison's face either. "It's… Special." She admitted carefully.

"See what I mean?" Addison sighed. "I'm never going to find a guy who cares about me like Weiss does you."

Savvy gave her friend a hug. "Of course you will. Your future husband is out there, somewhere. Who knows? Maybe you've already run into him."

Addison snorted. "Yeah, right."

"The point is that it will happen for you… And when it does, you'll know." Savvy said.

"If you say so." Addison's tone was dubious.

"Skippy is looking over here…" Savvy noticed.

"He probably just wants to know what color light saber I would have." Addison sighed and stood up slowly. "Thanks for the pep talk, Sav."

"Anytime."

Addison took a deep breath and walked back across the room to Skippy, hoping that Savvy was right, and that one day her prince would come. But for the rest of that night, she would have to settle for the frog.

* * *

_I decided to take "rubbing shoulders" literally. :)_

_Next: Addison becomes the gorgeous knockout we know her to be, and is in Derek's presence yet again. That one will have more of a Derek focus than an Addie one._


	4. Chapter 4

_I had a reviewer ask why this story is called "Kismet." :) "Kismet" means "fate" or "destiny," so I named it that because Derek and Addison were destined to meet. :)_

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The fourth time Addison encountered Derek, she slapped him. 

Addison wasn't 100 sure exactly _when_ she'd become pretty -- hell, even _sexy _-- but, she knew that she had Jessica to thank. Much to her chagrin at first, Addison was paired with the very blonde former beauty queen as her roommate in the freshman dorms. No one was more surprised than Addison when she became best friends with the art history major. Jessica taught her to apply makeup properly, helped her overhaul her wardrobe, and even spent a couple of hours training her to saunter in high heels. As a result, Addison retracted her high school statement about high heels, and she knew exactly why women wore them, why she should wear them; they made her legs look spectacular.

The ugly duckling had finally become a swan. Her skin was flawless, her teeth were straight and perfectly whitened, she'd finally developed some curves, her hair was soft and shiny instead of lifeless, and she certainly didn't have a lisp anymore.

Addison had the confidence to dress in a black miniskirt, a red satin top, and, of course, black heels to attend a party that Jessica was throwing. It was one of the last nights of the summer before their junior year. When Addison walked in, she got quite a reaction. Heads turned. Eyes stared openly. Addison smiled graciously back at the guys, but she was really somewhat embarrassed on the inside. How had she finally managed to get the attention of men? It baffled her that 3 years could make such a difference.

"Why exactly are we here, Mark? An Ivy League party?" Derek whispered to Mark as they entered the apartment, which was nicer than most adults who had been working 25 years could afford live in, let alone a college student. "These people were born with silver spoons in their mouths."

"It's Amy's friend's party… I think the chick's name is Jessica." Mark replied. Amy was Mark's flavor of the week.

"I really don't want to be here." Derek groaned.

"Keep your mouth shut about that. Drink and be merry. Oh… And don't embarrass me."

* * *

A couple of hours later, it was clear that Derek had enjoyed his time with the keg. The lines of reality were beginning to blur, and he was feeling like flirting. His eyes scanned the room for a suitable candidate, and quickly found their way to Addison. Derek liked redheads. He'd dated mostly blondes, but he thought that redheads were exotic; hot with tempers to match. 

Derek had a plan to get her to notice him. He casually walked by Addison, whistling softly. As he passed her, he reached out with his thumb and his forefinger and tweaked a piece of Addison's rear end between them. The redhead quickly whirled around, raised her hand, and plowed it into his cheek without hesitation. She calmly turned around as though nothing had happened. Derek reeled back into Mark in shock and pain.

"Derek!" Mark saw the angry expression on Addison's face, mumbled an apology, and quickly guided Derek to another room. Mark was the type of guy who could pinch girls asses and be smooth enough to get away with it. Derek was not. "Did you just pinch that girl's ass?"

"I think so, yup…" Derek slurred. "And she smacked me… My face hurts… Owwww."

"Normally, I'd congratulate you on a good ass pinch… But that babe looked like she was going to beat you down for it!"

"She was hot, wasn't she?" Derek grinned stupidly, his hand was covering his hot pink cheek. "I got slapped by a hot girl."

"I didn't get a good look at her face… She just spun around, slapped you, and turned back... But from the back, she looked pretty good."

"She suuureeee did. That's why I grabbed her ass. I wanted to talk to her, but I'm too damn drunk."

"So… You thought it would be better to grab her ass instead?"

"Uh-huh."

"Great plan." Mark said sarcastically, with a roll of his eyes.

"I think I'm in love…"

"With a girl who smacked you? Yeah, okay. Well, I think you're obliterated, and you're going home. You're not allowed to be around people anymore tonight."

"Nooo, I wanna stay with the hot redhead who smacked me!"

"Dude... I somehow don't think that she likes you."

Derek pouted. "She doesn't like me?"

"Nope. Come on… Let's go find Amy so I can tell her we're leaving." Mark took Derek by the elbow and dragged him over to Amy. "Amy… We're going to have to leave. Derek's a little… Intoxicated."

Amy glanced over at Derek with a raised eyebrow and nodded in agreement.

"Come over later." Mark said with a wink, and pressed his lips to Amy's. "Come on, Derek… Time to go home…" He pulled him towards the door.

"Bye, hot redhead!" Derek shouted.

Addison closed her eyes in embarrassment and flipped a wave to Derek over her shoulder, not bothering to turn around.

Satisfied, Derek smiled and allowed Mark to yank him out of the apartment.

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_Next: The last chapter (sniffle), when Derek and Addison will actually meet. Reviews make me write faster. ;)_


	5. Chapter 5

In the fall her senior year of college, Addison rejected her parents' offer of a penthouse in Greenwich Village. Her friends thought she was insane, living outside of the city in a shoddy duplex that she struggled to afford by taking out student loans, when she could have had a very nice place paid for, but Addison was determined to do things her own way.

She was surprised when she came home one day to find a stranger sitting on her front porch, with a blue cooler beside him and a beer in his hand.

"Um… Hi." Addison said to the stranger.

"Hi… Want a beer?" Derek asked, and tugged a bottle of Bud Light out of his cooler, offering it to Addison.

Addison wrinkled her nose slightly. "No, thank you… I prefer Sprite… Or champagne." She laughed a little bit. "But, thanks anyway."

There was a pause. "So, why are you on my doorstep?"

"The guy you share this duplex with?" Derek jerked his thumb back in the direction of Mark's door. "Mark? He's my best friend."

"You mean the one who has a parade of blonde women constantly going in and out of his apartment?" Addison rolled her eyes.

Derek laughed. "Yeah, that's him. He went in to get another chair."

"Have I seen you before?" Addison scrunched up her face and studied him. She felt like she knew him from somewhere. "Do you go to Columbia?"

"No, I go to NYU… I'm hoping to go to Columbia for med school, though."

"Me too, actually…" Addison was still trying to place his face. "I swear you look familiar."

"Maybe we've passed each other before." Derek winked.

"Maybe… Well, it was nice meeting you." Addison said, then realized she hadn't told him her name, nor vice versa. "I have to go study, unfortunately…" She slid her key into the keyhole of her apartment's door.

Derek smiled and waved at her. "Good luck!"

"Thanks." Addison smiled back and disappeared into her apartment.

The next day was long for Addison. She'd taken her two tests, and neither of them had gone as well as she had expected. Addison slammed her car door and trudged up to the duplex. She wasn't too surprised to find Derek sitting out front, but that time, he was accompanied by Mark.

"Hi, neighbor." Mark greeted. He and Addison had met a couple of times before, in passing.

"Hey." Addison said tiredly as she ascended the steps.

Derek reached into the cooler and pulled out a can of Sprite and a bottle of champagne. "Want a Sprite? Or some champagne?" Derek gestured to the extra chair, hard and plastic, beside him. Apparently, he had added it to the front porch, hoping to see her again.

Addison had to smile at his thoughtfulness – and his persistence. She paused for a moment, then set down her backpack and flopped down in the chair. "Sure. It's been a long day. I'll take that champagne."

Derek grinned and removed the wire cage from the champagne's cork. He popped off the top expertly, careful to keep it away from all of their faces, then poured the fizzy liquid into a plastic flute that had also been waiting for Addison's possible arrival.

"Thank you." Addison gratefully took a sip of it, then finally extended her hand to Derek. "I'm Addison Montgomery."

Derek smiled, took her hand, and gave it a charming kiss. "Derek Shepherd."

* * *

_Okay, I tried writing more of their first conversation… I tried a few different versions. I hated all of them, none of them fit the way I wanted them to, so I cut it off here... At their introduction._

_However, someone mentioned wanting to see kind of an epilogue, like at their wedding. So, I'm going to do a final chapter with something about the wedding, and in the same chapter, I was thinking carrying the fate theme through to something post-divorce, too (This fic isn't AU… Unfortunately, this is meant as a back story for the same Addison/Derek that will break each other's hearts). _

_Thoughts? Should I only do something related to their wedding and end it on that happy note, or take it past their divorce and make it bittersweet? I have ideas for both…_

_Incidentally, I got the original idea for the story because my fiancé and I grew up about 15 minutes apart from each other, but didn't meet for 19 years. I was thinking about all of the times before that when my fiancé and I were in the same place growing up (a football game, my prom, and some others) and never met… So I decided to write that from a Derek/Addison point of view. My parents had similar experiences, so I threw those in as well (the party, the doorstep). Hopefully, I haven't jinxed either marriage. ;)_


End file.
